Homemade Shampoo

I love it when I find a brown box on my doorstep and since I got Amazon happy the day after Christmas, the packages arrived almost daily for about a week. It was pretty fabulous. On this day, I got all of the goodies you see below. It was now time to start creating my own shampoo! Diatomaceous Earth is a natural detox and energy drink. In trying to rid my body of candida, I heard that parasites often reside alongside candida. There were a few parasite detoxes, but I read a couple about DE food grade and was sold. It's SUPER easy to take a tsp of this a day in a small glass of water. The ONLY problem is that it's really THE BEST energy drink I've ever had! It doesn't have a taster, but man oh man does it give me energy... and clarity. I made the mistake of taking a tsp about 3 PM one day... I had to MAKE myself go to bed at 12:30, but I felt SO rested the next morning. The benefits far outweigh the extreme amount of energy that I get from taking such a small dose.

 Let the mixing begin. I was SO ready to start getting the chemicals out of my bathroom and my body!

1/2 cup coconut milk (found in international aisle)

2/3 cup castille soap (I used Dr. Bronner's baby mild)

1 tsp Vit E oil (I used olive oil. It is NOT the same so I wouldn't recommend!)

1 tsp of liquid coconut oil (melt in microwave)

Mix any oils for scents that you want. 

Mix everything together as shown below and put in an old shampoo bottle. You will want to shake the bottle before every use. I use about a tsp every time. This should last about a month in the shower. 

Initially I LOVED the way it gave my body volume after washing it the first time. Then... oh then... Ha.. then I went to bed and woke up with THE greasiest hair EVER! I guess I didn't rinse it well enough. Or maybe I did. I'm not sure if it was the shampoo or new homemade conditioner I used that caused the greasiness, but once I showered again in the morning and rinsed some more, it was fine. The next day my hair looked great. 

I've been using this homemade shampoo for about a week and I've learned that I do NOT have to wash my hair every day. It actually does better when I go at least one day without washing it. My hair has more volume now, which is something I never had before.  

Coming soon... 

Homemade conditioner, deodorant ( which I LOVE) and toothpaste (that got immediate results).  

Almond Banana Pancakes

In trying to find a new breakfast for the kids, since they keep asking for pancakes, I found this recipe that is GAPS approved. Unfortunately since we aren't eating syrup, it didn't go over well. It was a little dry (for us) and adding almond butter didn't help. If I make these again, I will have to adjust the recipe a little. It wasn't horrible, but didn't leave me wanting more

For about 5 pancakes

1 ripe banana

1/4 almond flour

2 eggs

Mix all together for pancake batter. It definitely has the appearance of regular pancakes. Kids didn't know the difference until they tasted them and said they taste like the muffins I make, which they LOVE. For some reason they weren't as impressed in pancake form.

Mashed Cauliflower

My husband is an amazing cook! Unfortunately he still LOVES his seasoning and although he's tamed it down A LOT for us because I'm not able to handle spices like he does, I'm still trying to stay away from mixed seasoning and all of the preservatives. He planned on cooking some meat and asked me to make some cauliflower mashed potatoes to go along with it, so I did. All I can say is... they were GOOD! Well, at least I thought so. He said he could tell they weren't real mashed potatoes but the kids couldn't and that's what matters right?

The gravy shown is made from bone broth, fat, and arrowroot to thicken it.

For the mashed cauliflower it seemed that most of the recipes called for ingredients that weren't GAPS or candida approved (like heavy whipping cream) and I can't find the one I used as a guide, but here's the essence of what I did

1. Head of Cauliflower cut into small florets

2. 1/2 cup of coconut milk 

3. 1/4 tsp black pepper

4. 1 tsp of sea salt

5. 1 tsp of parsley

6. 2 tsp of ghee or coconut oil

7. 1 tsp of garlic (we like garlic)

~ Boil cauliflower (in bone broth or meat stock preferably)

~ drain cauliflower (keep excess broth to use again later)

~ put  tender cauliflower into blender and mix until creamy

~ add a cup of coconut milk 

~ add 1/4 cup of coconut cream (from milk)

~ add preferred seasonings and blend 

If you prefer thicker mashings, add more coconut cream from coconut milk or add more coconut milk to get creamier mashed cauliflower.

The mashed cauliflower didn't extend past this meal. It was all gone before I really got a chance to eat. Definitely a great option to replace mashed notates, much to my husband's dismay.

Did I mention how thankful I am for a husband that cooks??? 

Groceries, Lunch, and a New Snack

 I feel like I'm behind and I guess I am. I've been taking pictures, but haven't been uploading. After going to a friend's house that not only has a dog but had some good smelling plug-ins going, I can't seem to go 3 minutes without needing to blow my nose, so I figured it would be a good time to sit around with a box of tissue and catch up.
Last week I had to make a middle of the week grocery run. Aside from the toilet paper, here's what that looks like for us. Although I prefer not letting the kids eat a lot of nuts even though they're on the approved "list" I did buy a can of cashews and a can of mixed nuts. Nuts do make easy snacks if you can eat them. As you can see, lots of fruit and some veggies. The pineapple didn't make it an hour and my daughter apparently LOVES uncooked broccoli, which is a good thing considered how vita-rich it is.

 My 4 year old has been begging for popcorn shrimp again so I got back on pinterest, found the recipe and made him some popcorn shrimp. The recipe below is my adapted version. You can find the original on my pinterest recipe board.
Here's the recipe I used:

• 1 cup oats 
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 egg white, whisked
• 1 lb. raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• cooking spray
• lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Mix 1 cup of oats in blender to create a fine dipping powder.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oaks, parmesan, seasoning, salt and pepper until combined.

Set up your dipping station with bowls of (1) shrimp (2) egg whites and (3) breading. To speed things along I put a few shrimp in the egg mixture at one time. Dip the shrimp in the egg whites until they're covered. Then transfer to the breadcrumb mixture and toss until covered. Gently place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining shrimp, then generously coat all of the shrimp with a layer of cooking spray. (This will help the breading turn golden.)

I baked on each side for about 6-8 minutes and although it wasn't browned like what my kids are used to eating and seeing, my 4 year old loved them.

 After lunch, we needed a new snack and I read about the benefits of pomegranate and how to de-seed, so I figured why not. I enjoyed the little burst of sweetness each seed gave, but apparently I was the only one. The kids didn't care for them and they lasted a day or so in the fridge... well, until I ate them.

Clean eating!

I found a fabulous recipe on pinterest that's made with spaghetti squash and eggs... Instead of hashbrowns it's squash patties. I think it's yummy. The kids don't think so.

 After you cook your butternut squash in the oven for about 40 minutes on 350, use a fork to remove the spaghetti noodles.

After removing the noodles, put about a cup of noodles in a towel and wring out the excess water. As  you can see from the picture below, spaghetti squash holds a lot of water.

After you have removed the water from your cup of noodles, add 2 eggs, salt, cinnamon (if you want) and any other breakfast seasoning you might like.

Mix everything together and then put spoons of mixture on a preheated low temp pan coated with ghee or coconut oil.

Let cook for a few minutes and after it starts browning, flip to other side for 2-3 mins and you're ready to eat.

I thought they had just the right amount of sweetness. The first time I made it with coconut oil and the second time I made it with ghee. I preferred the ghee. I do not have a finished picture, but you can find me on pinterest and find the full recipe there.

 For one of their many... and when I say many, I mean MANY snacks of the day, I'm blessed that my kiddos like cucumbers. In doing our best to avoid dairy, they had their slices with salt and my oldest actually really liked it. They ate an entire cucumber.

For dinner that night we had butternut squash lasagna, yet again ANOTHER pinterest recipe. :-) I've never been accused of being a good cook, except when I lived at home and my mom thought almost everything I cooked was good because that means she didn't have to cook.

This recipe was pretty simple.
1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Brown ground meat of choice with fine chopped onions and 1-2 tsp of garlic.
3. Slice butternut squash into very thin rounds. The thinner the better so they cook evenly.
If you make your own meat sauce, go ahead and get it out because you will need it here. If you're still using store bought, then that will work fine too, but it will not fall under Whole30, Paleo, or GAPS diet since it's not natural and has extra ingredients.
4. Combine sauce and ground meat and layer bottom of pan.
5. Layer sauce with squash rounds.
6. Layer with more sauce.
7. Add last layer of squash rounds.
8. Top with 2 beaten eggs. Make sure eggs go in between all of the cracks and open pores.
9. Put in over for about 35 minutes or until eggs are done.
The longer you leave it cooking, the softer the squash rounds will be.

I ate mine with a little sauerkraut on the side. I though it was good but the kids only liked the meat. They do not have a taste for butternut squash yet.

On a side note, my daughter's eczema on the back of her arms seems to be getting better.

Here we go!

A full day of goodness. Today was Day 1 of no sugar, now wheat (or carbs), and no dairy for my kids. In starting on this journey naturally it puts more on my plate, but if it means drama free, eczema free, runny nose free, and mood swing free kiddos, then it'll be worth it. Today, my wonderful husband made breakfast with eggs and sausage for the kids and they loved the eggs. My husband is a fabulous cook, but he calls my new way of eating my "voodoo" diet. LOL

I took several pictures all day of everything I had cooked, but unfortunately I didn't have my card in my camera so I don't have them saved to share. Sorry. I'll do better next time. ;-)

 

For me, I had leftover spaghetti squash hashbrowns. They were SO good and I'm looking forward to making more tomorrow.

We had some friends over today and it was so cute when one of our visitors asked me where the snacks were. She ended up with a banana, an apple, and a pickle. Before long it was lunch time. Since I had just purchased a bag of tater tots, my 4 year old begged for some. Although they are a starch, I went ahead and made some for everyone, but since we had just ran out of ketchup it was up to me to make some. My adoration for pinterest did not fail me.

 

 I grabbed my last can of tomato paste, pulled up this recipe, and within a few minutes had ketchup that even my guests enjoyed. I even sent some home with my friend. Although I did have most of the required ingredients from the pinterest recipe, I did have to make a couple of adjustments because I did not have glycerin for the sweetener. No need to fear though, Amazon is sending me some. Instead of the glycerin, I added a little honey and brown sugar. I know the brown sugar is sugar so we weren't completely sugar free, but it wasn't even 1/4 tsp. It was more than 0 sugar, but still less than they usually have.

 My 4 year old liked the ketchup so much that he literally used his fingers to eat it when the tots were gone and then asked if I would send some to school with him for his lunch. Home Run and cheaper and healthier than store bought ketchup!

 

After lunch, we had an early dinner. My 4 year old began asking for pizza. He is fully aware he can't have dairy because of how his body reacts, so again, I got on pinterest for GAPS approved pizza recipes. Although I'm using GAPS based diet, I have NOT incorporated bone broth into my kid's diet YET. It's not far away though.

 

So, to make homemade pizza, I needed a crust recipe and a marinara recipe. In looking for pizza crust recipes, a lot called for cauliflower, which I had in the fridge, would have been good, but they also called for almond and coconut flour, of which I did not have. I finally found this recipe and although I cooked it longer than they suggested and it turned out a little harder than theirs probably did and didn't brown like they said it would, it still turned out good. My 2 youngest kids LOVED it. My oldest was in a mood so I'm not sure if he liked it or not.

Here's the pizza crust recipe I found and used. It does call for parmesan cheese, which I did use, which is GAPs approved, but obviously dairy free. In making my crust, I formed an outer edge so the sauce would stay contained and the kids would have something to hold when they ate.

Before I made the crust though I actually made the marinara first. In trying to find a GAPS approved marinara sauce, I found a few, but most had a couple of ingredients I didn't have. Fortunately for me I had just purchased some beets (for the first time ever) for some reason and I had everything this recipe asked for. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but even my husband said it tasted like marinara. The recipe says is tastes better after a day in the fridge. I can't wait to try it again soon.

My youngest, my middle, and my husband each had 2 pieces. My daughter said it was "100% good".

It wasn't long after we had eaten dinner than my daughter began asking for snacks. That girl can EAT and since we were out of fruit because we had eaten all of it today, I had to get back on pinterest and find something. I found these cauliflower bites. Her and I were the only ones that liked them. They were purposed to be popcorn replacement, but that didn't work out. Perhaps I should have let them brown a little longer.... Maybe next time.

 

Day 1 wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

Fermenting Veggies

In working to a clean health from the inside out, all of these are kindly being donated to my husband's work. Some are a month past expiration or are about to expire, but guys don't care. If they don't want to eat them, they can definitely throw them away. I'm replacing all of these store bough chemicals with my very first fermenting veggies

 This is from one head of cabbage. One thing the recipes online didn't say was to put something underneath the fermenting veggies because they could swell and the brine could overflow at night. I figured that out when I woke up to find some papers and one of my daughter's pieces of art wet. Of course, I might have put too much water and brine in the jars. Lesson learned. The cabbage could take 3 days - 2 weeks depending on my preference to tartness to be ready and the carrots are scheduled to take 2 weeks.

Fermented Veggies are a great source of probiotics and have LOTS of benefits.